The Work of His Hands : The Agony and Ecstasy of Being Conformed to the Image of Christ

by Ken Gire

Book by Gire, Ken

Genres: Faith, Nonfiction, Christian Living

135 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

Ken Gire is the author of more than 20 books, including "The Divine Embrace," "Windows of the Soul," "The Work of His Hands," the Moments with the Savior series, and the Reflective Life series. He has also co-authored "The Birthright" with John Sheasby. Two of his books have been awarded a Gold Medallion. A full-time writer and speaker, Ken is the founder of Reflective Living, a nonprofit ministry devoted to helping people learn how to slow down and live more reflective lives so they can experience life more deeply, especially life with God and other people. Ken is a graduate of Texas Christian University and Dallas Theological Seminary. He has four children and three grandchildren and lives near the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Monument, Colorado.

As a bestselling author, Ken speaks primarily on the subjects in the books he has written. In the past, he has spoken at such venues as Bill and Gloria Gaither's Praise Gathering, Billy Graham's Training Center---the Cove, Laity Lodge, Wind River Ranch, Young Life, as well as a variety of denominational and non-denominational churches. He has spoken in the church service itself but has mostly done church retreats. He is available to speak for large, public events as the keynote speaker or for smaller, more private events, such as leadership retreats. In all of his talks, Ken uses a variety of audio-visuals, such as film clips, and so the host would need to have the necessary equipment and someone to operate it. His messages can be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the venue. Since most of his speaking topics are from the books Ken has written, you can get a greater feel for his talks by first getting the book from Amazon.com, which carries both his in-print and out-of-print books.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful book!

[LeAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful meditations on Michaelangelo's Pieta with thoughts on being made in the image of God and the pain of being shaped by the Master. This would make an excellent Lent devotional. It also makes me want to put a biography of Michaelangelo on my to-read list.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, short book on the nature of suffering and Christianity.

[Jarm Boccio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ken Gire is an artist in his own right as he compares the creation of Michelangelo's Pietá with a Christian's formation into the likeness of Christ.
This quote says it all:
". . .In an attempt to free the image of Christ that is encased within the stone of the self, God begins chipping away anything that isn't Jesus. The stone either submits to the chipping or it resists.
If it submits, features of the Savior begin to emerge from our life. If it submits long enough, the Savior himself emerges.
If, however, it resists, and continues to resist, there will come a day when God will let the stone be stone."
Powerful!

[Joanne Hofmeister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book. Recently re-read it...I pull it out every few years to enjoy it. Everything about it is beautiful...its pages, its photos, its topic, its insights from examining a great piece of art: The Pieta. Gire's poetic prose is perfect for learning the process of being conformed to the image of Christ--enduring the often painful journey it takes to get there.

[Jt]

I love ken gire

[Deana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. I never looked at the Pieta quite this way before.